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A new survey has found that 17% of school pupils in South Africa carry the scars of corporal punishment. Statistics South Africa's General Household Survey 2011 found that the Eastern Cape is the province where children are most likely to be hit, at 30%.

KwaZulu-Natal has the second highest rate of corporal punishment at 23%. The Western Cape is the kindest to school kids, they only have a four percent corporal punishment rate. Stats SA chief survey statistician Niel Roux says urban areas have lower rates of corporal punishment.

Corporal punishment has a negative impact on pupils' educational development

Roux says: "What is clear is that the two urbanised provinces, Western Cape and also Gauteng, has the lowest percentages of corporal punishment. But then again also if you have a look at a poor province, Mpumalanga, only seven percent of children from Mpumalanga experience corporal punishment compared to a much higher rate of a neighbouring province like Limpopo. Some schools and some teachers are still using out-dated and out moded, and in fact illegal ways, of punishment."

Rawat says: "We looking at Westernisation, we looking at modern ways of thinking. If you looking at the rural areas, you looking at orthodox ways of managing children and families and so that is possibly why the urban areas differ from the rural areas in that the urban areas are more socialised. An empowered person will take action, will be motivated, will actually do things to enhance themselves that would include their education and studying and doing positive thing to build their lives."